Vaccine for preventing and treating porcine progressive atrophic rhinitis

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an animal vaccine directed to progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR), comprising at least two fragments of recombinant subunit  Pasteurella multocida  toxins (rsPMT) capable of eliciting the production of antibodies against.  Pasteurella multocida  associated with PAR, said fragments each having an amino acid sequence that substantially corresponds to the 2-486, 486-986 or 986-1281 amino acid residues of  Pasteurella multocida  toxin (PMT), respectively. Also disclosed is a multivalent animal vaccine, comprising said fragments as active components against PAR, and at least a pathogenic antigen or epitope thereof associated with other animal disease(s), such as inactivated gE-deleted Pseudorabies virus.

CROSS REFERENCE

The present Application is a Division of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/206,071 by the same inventors filed on Aug. 18, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is generally in the field of veterinary vaccines, vaccine compositions, and methods of producing the same. Particularly, provided herein are the vaccines for immunizing animal against progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR), which comprise a combination of at least two fragments of recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxins (rsPMT) each having an amino acid sequence that substantially corresponds to the 2-486, 486-986 or 986-1281 amino acid residues of Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT).

2. Description of Related Art

Progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR) is an important upper respiratory disease in swine. The characteristic lesions include turbinate bone hypoplasia, facial distortion and nasal hemorrhage as a result of frequent sneezing. Moreover, PAR causes significant global economic loss in swine production due to growth retardation. Several studies have demonstrated that Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) is the major virulence factor responsible for the turbinate atrophy seen in PAR (see, for example, Ackermann M R et al. 1996; Am J Vet Res 57(6):848-852; and Lax A J & Chanter N. 1990; J Gen Microbiol 136:81-87). Inoculation of PMT alone could reproduce all major symptoms of PAR in experimentally challenged pigs. Either aerosolized or injected into swine, PMT causes severe turbinate atrophy and reduces weight gain (Kamp E M & Kimman T G 1988; Am. J. Vet. Res. 49:1844-1849). The mechanisms by which PMT reduces weight gain and conchal bone atrophy have been widely studied. Results of several studies indicate that PMT could increase bone resorption and reduce bone formation by altering the functions of osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

The molecular basis for the virulence of PMT remains unclear, but may be associated with the activation of osteoclasts or inactivation of osteoblasts. It has been demonstrated that PMT is a potent mitogen for several types of cells such as Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. PMT was able to induce half-maximal stimulation of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation at doses as low as 1 pM. The effect of PMT on porcine osteoclasts and osteoblasts has been investigated using an in vitro cell culture system. Exposure of bone marrow cells to Vitamin D3 and PMT during growth led to an increase in cell numbers and earlier appearance of osteoclasts compared to controls. Low concentrations of PMT resulted in growth retardation, and decreased nodule formation in osteoblasts, while high concentrations of PMT increased cell death and inhibited nodule formation (Gwaltney S M et al. 1997; Vet Pathol 34(5):421-430). PMT also stimulates cell proliferation, but impairs cell maturation and cell function in primary cultures of rat osteoblasts. These findings suggest that PMT may increase bone resorption and decrease bone apposition, eventually leading to progressive osteolysis and continuous bone atrophy.

Many potential bacterial pathogens can colonize the nasal cavity or tonsils of swine and P. multocida is one of the primary opportunistic pathogens able to cause porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC). In fact, PAR is considered a contagious respiratory disease with high prevalence throughout the areas of the world where modern pig husbandry is practiced. Antibiotics, vaccination and good management can reduce the severity and frequency of PAR. However, overuse of antibiotics is a source of public health concern and vaccination has emerged as the most attractive approach in controlling PAR (Foged N T et al. Vet Rec 1989; 125(1):7-11; Kobisch M, Pennings A, Vet Rec 1989; 124(3):57-61; and Sakano T et al. J Vet Med Sci 1997; 59(1):55-57).

The entire PMT gene (toxA) encoding a protein of 1285 amino acids has been cloned and expressed in E. coli (Petersen S K & Foged N T 1989; Infect Immun 57(12):3907-3913). A recombinant PMT derivative lacking N-terminal amino acid residues 27-147 was shown to induce a protective response against challenge with a lethal dose of PMT in mice (Petersen S K et al. 1991; Infect Immun 59(4):1387-1393), and to reduce colonization by toxigenic P. multocida in the nares and tonsils of swine (Nielsen J P et al. 1991; Can J Vet Res 55(2):128-138). Thus, recombinant PMT derivatives may serve as ideal immunogens to elicit a good protective response without cytotoxicity in animals.

Formalin is the most common reagent used to inactivate PMT, but it may induce chemical alterations that can reduce the immunogenicity or efficacy of vaccines (Nielsen J P et al. 1991; as described). Therefore, a non-toxic but immunogenic PMT derivative could be advantageous to the development of effective vaccines against PAR. Most of the PAR vaccines tested to date consist of inactivated cultures of P. multocida or PMT toxoids. The toxoids are prepared by treatment of PMT with formaldehyde, which eliminates toxicity while maintaining antigenicity. These PAR vaccines are effective when tested on farms. However, PMT constitutes less than 0.6% of the total cellular proteins of P. multocida making it necessary to culture a large quantity of bacteria in order to obtain sufficient antigen for commercial scale use. Traditional toxoid vaccines require large scaled culture of a toxigenic strain of P. multocida and a tedious, expensive procedure for preparation of the PMT toxoid. In addition to being both time-consuming and expensive, the need to use inactivating reagents such as formaldehyde may induce uncontrollable chemical alterations in the immunogenicity of proteins that can reduce or eliminate the efficacy of such vaccines.

The N-terminal portion of PMT (residues 1 to 506 a.a.) has been considered to contain the putative cell binding domain and translocation domain. Immunization of the N-terminal rsPMT Tox1 (residues 1 to 487 a.a.) could elicit neutralizing antibodies that could prevent PMT from binding to the target cells and subsequently translocating across the cell membrane. Consequently, the PMT activity was blocked. In addition, the C-terminal portion of PMT was suggested as the catalytic domain and antibodies raised against C-terminal fragments (residues 681-1285 and 849-1285) were capable of inhibiting the mitogenic effect of PMT. The residues 1165 (cysteine), 1205 (histidine) and 1223 (histidine) were showed to be essential for the intracellular activity of PMT (Baldwin M R et al. 2004; 54(1):239-250; and Pullinger G D et al. 2001; Infect. Immun. 69: 7839-7850). The rsPMT derivatives are easy to produce and not cytotoxic so that no extra chemical inactivation is required before use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,470 disclosed polypeptide derivatives of P. multocida toxin comprising amino acid sequences identical to PMT but lacking amino acids 1043-1130 or lacking amino acids 1130-1285.

Therefore, in this invention, three recombinant subunit PMT (rsPMT) derivatives, representing the N-terminal (aa. 2-486), middle (aa. 486-986), and C-terminal (aa. 986-1281) portions of PMT, are produced and their immunogenicities are characterized by assessing the level of PMT-specific antibody secreting cells, the serum neutralizing antibody titers and the degree of lymphocyte proliferation in immunized mice and swine. The efficacy of these recombinant subunits as a vaccine was also evaluated in pregnant sows and their offspring by analysis of neutralizing antibody titers in colostrum and serum, and by monitoring the survival rate and the mean weight gain in piglets after PMT challenge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a vaccine for immunizing animal against progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR), which comprises a combination of at least two fragments of recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxins (rsPMT) each having an amino acid sequence that substantially corresponds to the 2-486, 486-986 or 986-1281 amino acid residues in SEQ ID No: 2.

In a preferred embodiment, the vaccine comprises a combination of the N-terminal (aa. 2-486) and C-terminal (aa. 986-1281) portions of PMT. In another embodiment, the vaccine comprises a combination of the middle (aa. 486-986) and C-terminal (aa. 986-1281) portions of PMT.

In one embodiment, the fragments of PMT are manufactured by host cell that has been transformed with a plasmid comprising the coding sequence of Pasteurella multocida toxin fragment 2-486, 486-986 and/or 986-1281. The host cell used herein may be prokaryotic or eukaryotic.

In the second aspect, the present invention provides a multivalent vaccine against progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR), which comprises a combination of at least two fragments of recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxins (rsPMT) each having an amino acid sequence that substantially corresponds to the 2-486, 486-986 or 986-1281 amino acid residues in SEQ ID No: 2 as the first component; and at least one antigen or epitope associated with another animal pathology. In one embodiment, the multivalent vaccine is used for preventing and/or treating progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR) and pseudorabies (PR).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE

FIG. 1A-1C depict the total cellular proteins expressed by different rsPMT clones in E. coli were separated on 10% SDS-PAGE (A), followed by the Western blotting analysis using anti-PMT monoclonal antibody (B), or swine immune serum (C). Lane 1, protein standards (BIO-RAD); lane 2, Tox1 (86 kDa); lane 3, Tox2 (86 kDa); lane 4, Tox7 (55.4 kDa); lane 5, Tox6 (158 kDa); lane 6, PMT (155 kDa); lane 7, pET 32b(+). The location of each expressed rsPMT protein is indicated by an arrow, and native PMT synthesized in P. multocida PMD 48 is indicated by an arrowhead.

FIG. 2A-2C depict the cytotoxicity of rsPMT and native PMT on Vero cells. Monolayers of Vero cells were treated with DMEM (A), 140 ng/ml native PMT (B), and 1.5 mg/ml Tox1 (C), respectively at 37° C. for 7 days. The cellular morphology is visualized by the phase-contrast microscope (Olympus IX-70). Magnification 100×.

FIG. 3 depicts the PMT-specific ASCs of immunized mice present in spleen at 14 days post booster vaccination (open bars) and lethal dose of native PMT challenged (closed bars). At each time point, 3 mice/group were studied. ^(#)Significantly (p<0.05) different with toxoid-immunized mice after booster vaccination. *Significantly (p<0.05) different with toxoid-immunized mice after native PMT challenged.

FIG. 4A-4B depict PMT-specific ASCs detected in pulmonary lymph node (A) and spleen (B) of piglets after booster immunization (vaccinated), and subsequent PMT challenge (challenged) or homologous antigen booster (boosted). The results of each experiment were analyzed for effect of treatment using Student's t distribution. Statistical results were considered to be significant when p-values were lower than or equal to 0.05 (*).

FIG. 5 depicts PMT-specific serum neutralizing antibody titers in piglets after boost immunization (vaccinated), and subsequent PMT challenging (challenged) or homologous antigen booster (boosted). The SN titer was expressed as the end-point dilution of serum that could inhibit the cytotoxicity of 4-fold MTD of authentic PMT on Vero cells.

FIG. 6A-6D depict the representative photographs of the turbinate conchae of experimental pigs in groups vaccinated with rsPMTs vaccine (B), conventional AR-toxoid vaccine (C), and unvaccinated (D), at 2-weeks after authentic PMT challenge. The unvaccinated and unchallenged pigs were served as the negative control (A).

FIG. 7 depicts the PMT-specific serum neutralizing antibody titers in pregnant saws before and after boost immunization (vaccinated) of the PAR-PR bivalent vaccine.

FIG. 8 depicts the PR-specific serum neutralizing antibody titers in pregnant sows before and after boost immunization of the PAR-PR bivalent vaccine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of skill in the art of the invention. All patents and published lectures cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The vaccine according to the present invention comprises a combination of at least two fragments of recombinant subunit Pasteurella multocida toxins (rsPMT) each having an amino acid sequence that substantially corresponds to the 2-486, 486-986 or 986-1281 amino acid residues in SEQ ID No: 2. The fragments of rsPMT may be expressed in prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cell transformed with a plasmid comprising the coding sequence of the Pasteurella multocida toxin fragments.

As used herein, a combination refers to any association between or among two or more elements.

As used herein, production by recombinant DNA technique by using recombinant DNA methods means the use of the well-known methods of molecular biology for expressing proteins encoded by cloned DNA.

As used herein, the term “vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has been linked. In general, expression vectors are in the form of “plasmid”, which are generally circular double stranded DNA loops that are not bound to the chromosome.

As used herein, “amino acid residue” refers to an amino acid formed upon chemical digestion (hydrolysis) of a polypeptide at its peptide linkages.

The amino acid sequence that “substantially corresponds to” means with homology of about greater than or equal to 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 99% sequence homology; the precise percentage can be specified if necessary.

Examples of conventional adjuvant used in the present vaccine formulations include Aluminum compounds, also known as aluminum gel, such as aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)₃ and aluminum phosphate, AlPO₄; potassium aluminum sulfate, KAI(SO₄)₂.12H₂O (D.E.S. Stewart-Tull (1996), Aluminum adjuvants. In Vaccine protocols, Robinson, A., G. H., and C. N. Wiblin, Farrar Human Press. Totoga, N.J., USA. pp. 135-139); Freund's complete adjuvant, FCA; Freund's incomplete adjuvant, FIA; water-in-oil, W/O emulsion; oil-in-water, O/W emulsion and the like.

Concanavalin A, Con A is an effective immunostimulant which activating T cells. The proliferative responses of T lymphocytes secrete IL-2 and other cytokines for promoting the associated immune responses.

EXAMPLES

Other features of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following descriptions of exemplary embodiments. These examples are given for illustration of the invention and are not intended to be limiting thereof.

Example 1 Construction of Derivative Clones of PMT

Pasteurella multocida PMD 48 is a type D toxigenic isolate obtained from a pig affected by a typical case of PAR in Taiwan (Liao C M et al. 2002; Taiwan Vet J 28(4):281-293.). P. multocida PMD 48 was cultured in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth (Difco) for authentic Pasteurella multocida toxin preparation and genomic DNA extraction. The E. coli BL21 (DE3) strain (Novagen) was cultured in Luria-Bertain (LB) medium for cloning and protein expression. The PMT protein coding sequences were cloned into the T7 promoter-based pET expression vectors (Novagen). Restriction enzymes and T4 DNA ligase were purchased from New England Biolabs.

A full-length PMT gene product was created by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using PMT-specific primers (forward: 5′ AGAGGTTATGGATCCGAAAACAAAACATTTT3′, SEQ ID NO: 3; reverse: 5′ CTCTTGTTAAGCTAGCCTTTGTGAAAAGAGGAG3′, SEQ ID NO: 10). The full-length gene product was purified and then digested with appropriate combinations of restriction enzymes to produce three different coding regions of the PMT gene. The 1459 bp BamHI/HindIII fragment encoding N-terminal amino acids 1-487 of PMT was cloned into pET32b to generate the Tox1 clone. The 1508 bp HindIII/HindIII fragment encoding the middle region (aa 485 to 987) of PMT was cloned into pET32a to generate the Tox2 clone. The 891 bp HindIII/NheI fragment encoding the C-terminal region (aa 986 to 1282) of PMT was cloned into pET25b and followed by subcloning the BamHI/BlpI fragment into pET32b to generate the C-terminal Tox7 clone. Recombinant expression plasmids Tox1, Tox2, and Tox7 were transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) according to the manufacturer's manual. The rsPMT expression was induced with 1 mM Isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG; Protech), and rsPMT was purified using the His Bind® Kits (Novagen, Darmstadt, Germany) according to the manufacturer's manual. The protein concentration was quantified using the Bio-Rad Protein Assay reagent (BIO-RAD, Hercules, Calif.). Authentic PMT was prepared from P. multocida PMD 48 cultured in BHI medium at 37° C. for 26 h as previously described (Nakai T et al. 1984; Infect Immun 46(2):429-434). The authentic PMT was detoxified with 0.3% (v/v) formalin (Fisher) at 37° C. with shaking for 48 h to generate PMT toxoid.

Example 2 Expression and Purification of rsPMT

The rsPMTs were expressed as fusion proteins containing an N-terminal fusion peptide. Plasmids Tox1, Tox2, Tox6 and Tox7 were transformed into competent E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells according to the manufacturer's instructions. A single colony of each transformant was grown at 37° C. in Luria-Bertain (LB) medium containing 100 μg/ml ampicillin until the OD₆₀₀ reached 1.0. Isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) was then added to a final concentration of 1 mM. The culture was incubated for an additional 6 hr at 37° C. The cells were harvested by centrifugation and resuspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with 0.1% Triton X-100. Cells were broken by sonication and the suspension were mixed with an equal volume of 2×SDS-PAGE sample buffer (125 mM Tis-HCl [pH 6.8], 20% glycerol, 4% SDS, 10% β-mercaptoethanol, 0.25% bromophenol blue) and the proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE. Native PMT was prepared from R multocida PMD 48 cultured in BHI medium at 37° C. for 26 hr as previously described in the report of Nakai T et al. After cells were broken, the insoluble fractions containing rsPMTs were harvest by the centrifugation. The insoluble fractions were dissolved in solubilization buffer (50 mM CAPS, 0.3% N-lauroylsarcosine, 1 mM DTT; Novagen, Darmstadt, Germany) and incubated at room temperature for 15 min. After centrifugation, supernatant containing the solubilized protein was transferred to a clean tube for further recombinant protein purification. The rsPMT was purified using the H is Binds Kits (Novagen, Darmstadt, Germany) according to the manufacturer's manual, followed by refolding in 10-fold volumes of PBS at 4° C. overnight. After concentrated with Amicon® Ultra 30,000 MWCO (Millipore, Bedford, USA), the protein concentration was quantified using the Bio-Rad Protein Assay reagent (BIO-RAD, Hercules, Calif.).

Three recombinant subunit PMT proteins representing the N-terminal (Tox1; aa 1 to 487), the middle (Tox2; aa 485 to 987), and C-terminal (Tox7; aa 98.6 to 1282) regions of PMT, respectively, were successfully produced in E. coli. The molecular weight of Tox1, Tox2, and Tox7 on 10% SDS-PAGE was 86, 86, and 55.4 kDa, respectively (FIG. 2). The expression efficiencies of rsPMT proteins ranged from 28-35% of the total cellular protein (data not shown). The expression of rsPMT was remarkably increased up to 60 fold in the total cellular proteins. These results suggest that, as compared with production of native PMT, sufficient quantities of rsPMT proteins could be obtained to significantly decrease the costs of vaccine preparation.

Example 3 Cytotoxicity Assay of rsPMT in Mice

African green monkey kidney cells (Vero, ATCC CCL-81) were obtained from Food Industry Research and Development of Taiwan, R.O.C. and cultured in DMEM supplemented with 2 mM L-glutamine, 1.5 g/l sodium bicarbonate, 0.1 mM sodium pyruvate and 5% fetal calf serum (FCS, Gibco/BRL). Vero cells were seeded into the wells of 96-well plates (Costar) at a density of 5×10⁴ cells per well and the plates were incubated at 37 C overnight. Serial dilutions of rsPMT or native PMT proteins were added to the cell monolayers and the cells were incubated in DMEM containing 2% FCS at 37° C. for 5-7 days. Cytopathic effects consisting of nodular formation in the monolayer were visualized by phase-contrast microscope (Olympus IX-70) and the minimal toxic dose (MTD) was calculated for each rsPMT and the native PMT. All of the rsPMT were non-cytotoxic (FIG. 3), even at dosages as high as 1.5 mg/ml. In contrast, the minimal toxic dose (MTD) of native PMT was 140 ng/ml, which was at least 10000-fold more toxic to Vero cells than any of the rsPMT proteins.

LD₅₀ in mice. Fifty SPF BALB/c mice were randomly grouped and each mouse was inoculated via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection with 0.5 ml of a suspension containing a selected concentration of rsPMT or native PMT at six-week-old. These mice were observed for 14 days after inoculation and mortality was recorded. The LD₅₀ was determined by the 50% end-point method of Behrens-Kärber. Mice inoculated with native PMT demonstrated rough hair coat, anorexia and reluctance to move. These animals huddled in the corners of cages and died within 2-3 days. Lesions at necropsy included congestion or hyperemia of organs and atrophy of spleen. The LD₅₀ of native PMT in BALB/c mouse was 1.30 μg. In contrast, no significant clinical symptoms, gross lesions or other pathological findings were observed in mice receiving doses as high as 1 mg of rsPMT proteins (Table 1).

TABLE 1 The expression efficiency of native and recombinant subunit PMT, and their 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) in BALB/c mouse Recombinant subunit PMT Native Tox1 Tox2 Tox6 Tox7 PMT Recombinant protein/ 28.2 ± 5.07 35.8 ± 6.88 4.1 ± 0.41 32.1 ± 6.92 0.6 ± 0.15 total cellular protein (%)^(a) LD₅₀ (μg/0.5 ml)^(b) >1000 >1000 ND >1000 1.30 ^(a)The expression efficacy was analyzed with AlphaImager ™ 2200 image system. ^(b)LD₅₀ was presented as the protein concentration needed to kill 50% of mice.

Example 4 Immunoprotective Properties of the rsPMT Proteins in Mice ELISPOT of Antibody Secreting Cells

A suspension of mouse spleen MNCs was assayed for PMT-specific ASCs by the enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay. The 96-well nitrocellulose bottomed plates (Millititer H A, Millipore Corp) were coated with rsPMT (100 ng/ml) and incubated at 4 C overnight. The plate was washed with PBS containing 0.05% Tween-20 (PBS-T) and blocked with PBS containing 0.5% bovine serum albumin. Following incubation at 37 C for 1 hr, the plate was washed once with PBS-T and incubated with serial dilutions of a suspension of MNCs. Cells were incubated at 37 C in an atmosphere containing 5% CO₂ for a further 6 hr. The plate was washed once with PBS-T, followed by reacting with. PBS-diluted alkaline phosphatase-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG at 37 C for 1 hr. Finally, the plate was washed six times with PBS-T, and reacted with a chromogen/substrate solution NBT/BCIP (Sigma) at room temperature for 15 to 20 min. After rinsing with deionized water, the color spots present on each well were visualized and quantified with stereomicroscope.

The mouse spleens were markedly enlarged following the second immunization. Two weeks following challenge with native PMT, the spleens from Tox1- and Tox2-immunized mice began to atrophy, but all of the mice survived. The greatest numbers of ASCs were detected in the Tox2-immunized mice possessing 2993.33±200.33 ASCs specific to PMT in 10⁶ MNCs. The lowest amount of ASCs (1386.67±477.21 in 10⁶ MNCs) was detected in the PMT toxoid-immunized mice. Except Tox2-immunized mice, there was no significant difference among the Tox1-, Tox7- and toxoid-immunized mice (p<0.05). The ASCs of immunized mice increased significantly in every group after challenge with native PMT (p≦0.001) (FIG. 3). The Tox1-immunized mice demonstrated the greatest increase in the number of ASCs with 10233.33±850.49 in 1.06 MNCs (FIG. 3).

Cellular Response of Immunized Mice

Anti-PMT cellular immune response of mice was analyzed by a lymphocyte proliferation assay. The mean stimulation indices of Tox1-, Tox2-, Tox7-, and toxoid-vaccinated mice were 2.11±0.27, 3.31±0.95, 2.31±0.26, and 6.02±0.68, respectively. After challenge with native PMT, only the cells isolated from Tox7- and toxoid-immunized mice could be stimulated with native PMT in vitro. The results implied that mice vaccinated with rsPMT proteins could mount a specific cellular response against PMT (SI>2), but the response might be inhibited by exposure to native PMT (Table 2).

TABLE 2 Lymphocyte proliferation assay of immunized mice at 14 days post booster vaccination and lethal dose of native PMT challenge Grouping Booster vaccination (n = 3) PMT Challenge (n = 3) Mock 0.99 ± 0.26 1.66 ± 0.49 Tox1 2.11 ± 0.27 1.06 ± 0.49 Tox2 3.31 ± 0.95 0.96 ± 0.19 Tox7 2.31 ± 0.26  2.8 ± 0.37 Toxoid 6.02 ± 0.68 8.07 ± 4.13 Data were Expressed as the Stimulation Index (SI).

SI=cpm in antigen stimulated cultures/cpm in unstimulated cultures. An SI value greater than 2 was regarded as positive (van Diemen et al., 1994)

Example 5 Protection Efficacy of rsPMT Vaccine in Pigs Antibody Responses in Immunized Piglets

The antigenicity of the rsPMT products was tested in 4-week-old piglets by analyzing the level of PMT-specific antibody secreting cells and titers of neutralizing antibodies after immunization, PMT challenge, or homologous antigen booster. The spleen and pulmonary lymph node antibody secreting cells were quantified by ELISPOT assay. Each staining spot represented one PMT-specific ASC, and total color spots were quantified. Only a few PMT-specific ASCs were detected at 14 days after booster vaccination in each vaccinated group. The greatest number of PMT-specific ASCs in the spleen was detected in Tox7-immunized piglets that had 11.5±0.7 ASCs per 106 MNCs (see, FIG. 4B), and the greatest number of PMT-specific ASCs in lymph nodes was shown in the Tox1 group (FIG. 4A). The amounts of ASCs increased slightly at 4 weeks after authentic PMT challenge, but increased dramatically in the group booster with homologous antigen. The Tox1-immunized piglets demonstrated the greatest increase in ASCs with 493.3±138.7 per 10⁶ MNCs in pulmonary lymph node and Tox7-immunized piglets possessed the greatest increase in ASCs with 440±104.4 per 10⁶ MNCs in spleen MNCs after antigen booster (showed in FIG. 4).

Furthermore, the PMT-specific neutralizing antibody titer was determined as its ability to inhibit the cytopathic effects induced by PMT in Vero cells. After booster vaccination, moderate levels of neutralizing antibody titer (≧1:16) were detected in Tox1- and Tox7-immunized pigs, and a low level of neutralizing antibody titer (1:4) was detected in Tox2 group. The neutralizing antibody titers increased significantly after PMT challenge or booster with homologous rsPMT antigen, but not in the PMT toxoid vaccinated group. The Tox1 immunized pigs could generate the highest neutralizing antibody titers in every assay point and the Tox7-immunized pigs were the next. There was no detectable neutralizing antibody in unvaccinated pigs. In summary, after PMT challenge or homologous antigen booster, the neutralizing antibody titers in recombinant subunit PMT immunized pigs could reach 1:32 to 1:512, but only 1:8 in PMT toxoid immunized pigs (FIG. 5).

Cellular Immune Response in Immunized Piglets

The specific cellular immune response to each recombinant subunit PMT was analyzed by the lymphocyte proliferation assay. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured and presented as the stimulation index (SI). After booster vaccination, a PMT-specific lymphocytes proliferation in spleen was observed in Tox2- and Tox7-vaccinated pigs as indicated with a SI greater than 2, while no response was detected in pulmonary lymph node. After PMT challenge or homologous antigen booster, the spleen MNCs from each rsPMT or toxoid immunized group all demonstrated significant enhancement of lymphocyte proliferation (Table 3). Except for Tox1-immunized pigs, the pulmonary lymph node MNCs in each group also showed specific proliferation response after homologous antigen booster.

TABLE 3 PMT-specific proliferation of lymphocytes in MNCs from pulmonary lymph nodes (PLN) and spleen isolated from immunized piglets after booster vaccination, challenged with PMT, and boosted with homologous antigen Homologous Group PMT antigen (Vaccination Vaccination challenge booster antigen) PLN Spleen PLN Spleen PLN Spleen Tox1 1.1 1.0 1.2 5.6 1.8 4.8 Tox2 1.2 4.0 1.9 4.9 3.1 5.1 Tox7 1.4 3.4 1.4 3.5 4.2 4.6 Toxoid 1.5 1.8 1.0 6.9 4.0 5.6 Data are average of the stimulation index (SI) of PMT-specific lymphocyte proliferation form three pigs at each time point. The SI was calculated as described in Materials and Methods, and SI>2 represent lymphocyte proliferation. Protection Efficacy of rsPMT Vaccine in Piglet

To evaluate the protection efficacy of these rsPMTs in newborn piglets, immunization of the pregnant sows with rsPMTs mixture with or without P. multocida type A bacterin and a conventional PAR-toxoid vaccine were applied for comparison. The neutralizing antibody titers in sows' colostrum were assayed at parturition and the maternal neutralizing antibody titers in sera from offspring were analyzed at one-day of age. Pregnant sows vaccinated with rsPMTs then given (group A) or not given (group B) an injection of P. multocida type A bacterin could mount a significant response with high neutralizing antibody titers in colostrum (≧1:80) that could be transferred successfully to newborn piglets (Table 4). Immunized sows in group A demonstrated a higher antibody response than those in group B. By contrast, the conventional PAR-toxoid vaccine (group C) induced a medium level of neutralizing antibody leading to low antibody titers in their offspring (1:8). Only basal levels of neutralizing antibody titer (≦1:4) were detected in the control animals (group D). In addition, ten offspring from each group at 14-day-old were challenged by intramuscular injection with 200 μg/kg (5-fold lethal dose) of authentic PMT. The death of piglets was observed as early as 24 h post-inoculation in groups C and D, but not until 4th days post-inoculation in groups A and B. The survival rates of offspring from groups C and D were 0% but reached 60% in groups A and B at 28-days of age (Table 4).

TABLE 4 Neutralizing antibody titers of immunized sows and their offspring, and the survival rate of offspring after challenged with a 5-fold lethal dose (200 μg/kg) of authentic PMT at 14-day-old Mean neutralizing antibody titer Vaccine Sows Newborn Piglets Survival Group composition Colostrums 1-day-old 28-day-old rate^(a) A rsPMTs +  1:101  1:102 1:2 60% P. multocida bacterin B rsPMTs 1:80  1:79 1:2 60% C Conventional 1:39 1:8 ND^(b) 0% AR-toxoid vaccine D Unvaccinated 1:4  1:2 ND^(b) 0% ^(a)Survival rate was calculated at 28-day-old. ^(b)Not determined, all piglets were dead within 24 h after PMT challenge.

Furthermore, another twenty offspring from each group were tested for weight gain. Half of the piglets in each group were challenged with 30 μg/kg (sublethal dose) of authentic PMT via intramuscular injection at 14-days of age, and the remaining half were untreated. The mean body weight gain of piglets was recorded at 14 days post-inoculation. There was no significant difference among the piglets from three vaccination groups, either challenged or unchallenged, but a significant reduction in weight gain (p<0.05) was observed among piglets in the control group D that were challenged with authentic PMT compared with their unchallenged cohort (Table 5). In the nasal conchal gross examination, there were low levels of turbinate atrophy with scores ranged from 0.1 to 0.3 in the piglets from sows vaccinated with rsPMTs, even after these piglets were challenged with authentic PMT. In contrast, after authentic PMT challenge, piglets from the conventional AR-toxoid vaccinated and unvaccinated sows showed mild to severe turbinate atrophy with average scores of 1.4 and 3.4, respectively (see, Table 5; and FIG. 6), which were significantly different from rsPMTs vaccinated groups (p<0.05).

TABLE 5 Mean weight gain and turbinate conchal score of the offspring piglets after 2 weeks challenged with subleathal dose (30 μg/kg) of authentic PMT Mean weight gain of Mean score of piglets (mean ± SD) turbinate conchal (kg) atrophy^(a) Sows Vaccine Unchal- Unchal- group composition lenged Challenged lenged Challenged A rsPMTs + 3.9 ± 0.8 3.5 ± 0.4 0.1 0.2 P. multocida bacterin B rsPMTs 5.0 ± 0.6 4.5 ± 1.3 0.2 0.3 C Conventional 4.4 ± 1.0 3.5 ± 0.9 0.2 1.4^(#) AR-toxoid vaccine D Unvaccinated 5.2 ± 0.3  3.5 ± 0.8* 0.2 3.4^(#) ^(a)The degrees of turbinate conchal atrophy were ranged from 0 (normal) to 4 (complete atrophy) *The mean daily weight gain in control group differs significantly (t-test, p < 0.05) ^(#)The mean score of turbinate conchal atrophy in control group differs significantly (t-test, p < 0.05)

There was no significant difference in weight-gain between the toxin-challenged and unchallenged subgroups, but piglets from unvaccinated sows showed poorer growth performance after PMT challenge than those unchallenged (p<0.05). In addition, piglets from sows vaccinated with rsPMTs mixture with or without P. multocida type A bacterin exhibited low level of turbinate conchal atrophy after challenged with authentic PMT. In contrast, piglets from the conventional PAR-toxoid vaccinated and unvaccinated sows showed significant atrophy of turbinate conchae. These results indicated that an effective vaccination of sows during pregnancy could protect offspring against PAR.

In conclusion, vaccination with the short fragments of recombinant subunit PMT proteins resulted in high levels of neutralizing antibody and a specific cellular immune response against PMT in swine. Immunization of sows with recombinant subunit PMT vaccine during pregnancy is safe and able to elicit levels of neutralizing antibodies in colostrum that could protect their offspring against PMT. These non-toxic recombinant subunit PMT proteins hold great potential as suitable antigens in developing an effective subunit vaccine against PAR.

Example 6 Preparation and Immunogenicity Test of the Bivalent Vaccine (PAR-Ps) Against Progressive Atrophic Rhinitis and Pseudorabies

The PAR vaccine (comprising 2.1 mg PMT recombinant subunit proteins, each 0.7 mg, 1×10⁹ CFU of inactivated P. multocida serotype A, and 1×10⁹ CFU of inactivated P. multocida serotype D) was mixed with inactivated gE-deleted pseudorabies virus (10⁸ TCID₅₀), and then the sterile oily adjuvant (W/O/W type) or aluminum gel was added to the mixture to form a PAR-PR bivalent vaccine formulation of 2-ml and 4-ml dosage.

Immunoprotection of PAR-PR bivalent Vaccine in Pregnant Sows

The pregnant sows were immunized by intramuscularly injecting with the PAR-PR bivalent vaccine formulation comprising aluminum gel or oily adjuvant in 2-ml and 4-ml dosage respectively and collected blood samples for the detection of PMT- and PR-specific serum neutralizing antibody titers. As showed in FIGS. 7 and 8, the average PMT and PR neutralizing antibody titers observed in sows immunized with the 2-ml dosed aluminum gel containing bivalent vaccine were 8.8.4- and 90.4-folds respectively, and of 75.2 and 99.2-folds observed in the 4-ml dosage treated sows. Of the observation in oily adjuvant containing bivalent vaccine treated animals, the average PMT and PR neutralizing antibody titers detected were 88.8- and 92.8-folds in 2-ml dosage groups, respectively. In 4-ml dosage groups, the average PMT neutralizing antibody titer detected was 101.2-folds and the RP neutralizing antibody titer was 110.5-folds. 

1. A multivalent vaccine against progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR), comprising: (i) as the first component a combination of either recombinant Pasteurella multocida toxin (rPMT) subunits having an amino acid sequence corresponding to the 2-486 and 986-1281 amino acid residues, or to the 486-986 and 986-1281 amino acid residues, or to the 2-486, 486-986 and 986-1281 amino acid residues in SEQ ID NO: 2 respectively, and (ii) as the second component at least one antigen or epitope associated with another animal pathology.
 2. The multivalent vaccine of claim 1, which comprises inactivated gE-deleted Pseudorabies virus as the second component.
 3. The multivalent vaccine of claim 1, which further comprises at least one antigen derived from PMT toxoid, Pasteurella multocida serotype A, Pasteurella multocida serotype D or Bordetella bronchiseptica.
 4. The multivalent vaccine of claim 1, which further comprises at least one adjuvant selected from Freund's complete adjuvant, Freund's incomplete adjuvant, aluminum gel, oily adjuvant (W/O/W) water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion, oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, Con A, β-glucosan, and combination thereof.
 5. The multivalent vaccine of claim 1, wherein the PMT subunits are derived from Pasteurella multocida serotype D isolate.
 6. The multivalent vaccine of claim 1, wherein the PMT subunits and the PR are produced by recombinant DNA technology. 